REDEEMED AND RELEASED

I first met Daniel (not his real name) in a Gideons Bible Study at my county jail one Sunday in 2015. He was in custody for an unspeakable crime he’d been committing for the past year. He shuffled through the door of the small meeting room with his head down as I was explaining salvation to the six men in the room.

I turned and asked him if he were a born-again Christian. He said, “I’d like to be, but I need to forgive myself first.” I told him I’d great news for him. It was God who’d forgive him, not himself. I continued explaining salvation and led the seven men through the ABCs of being born again­ – Admitting your sinful nature and your many sins, Believing Jesus died for your sins, and Choosing Him as your Savior and Lord.

All the men had their heads down as we prayed the prayer of salvation. When I lifted my head and looked at Daniel, I was amazed. The face of this  person, who’d entered the room looking like he’d lost his last friend, was aglow with joy. I’ve never seen anything like it before or up to this day. He’d been redeemed in an instant and his vile sin forgiven.

The Holy Spirit led me to start meeting with Daniel during the remaining time he had in the county jail. I wanted to make sure Daniel was really born-again and to disciple him in his new faith. The courts gave him a twelve-year sentence for what he did. He’d serve eight years and be on parole for four.

Daniel has been calling me at least once a month from prison for the last eight years. The Holy Spirit took him on as a project, and his faith has grown exponentially. Again, I have never seen anything like his transformation. It encourages me to see how faithful Jesus is to someone who has a close personal relationship with Him.

Last night, Daniel called me from prison for the last time. This very morning he is being released and will be living in a Department of Corrections facility to start his parole before he moves on to his own housing.

Hallelujah! God has been faithful to this wayward son who asked to be redeemed eight years ago. Daniel is now both redeemed from his sins and released from the prison system that kept him captive for eight years. Last night he told me he was filled with joy but also anxious as he enters back into society. You could pray about that anxiety if the Holy Spirit moves you to do so. He’ll need those prayers to get back on his feet.  

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023 at 1:04 pm and is filed under Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.